Vaccinia Related Kinases: Regulators of BAF in Establishing Nuclear Integrity?

Project Description Narrative:

The research team hypothesizes that vaccinia related kinases (VRK) enzymes will mediate the cell-cycle regulated phosphorylation of BAF in a manner that facilitates nuclear membrane disassociation and reassembly during mitosis. They will test this hypothesis with two aims: 1. characterizing the abundance, phosphorylation status, sub-cellular localization, and protein-protein interactions of the VRKs and BAF during the cell cycle; and 2. Characterizing the impact of overexpression or depletion of VRKs and BAF on cell proliferation, nuclear integrity, and chromosomal stability. These studies will aid understanding of the mechanisms underlying nuclear envelopathies, as well as to the understanding of the chromosomal instability that underlies cancer.